Nigel Farage to lead Leave Means Leave march

Nigel Farage will lead a march from Sunderland to London in protest against attempts to “betray the will of the people over Brexit”.

The March to Leave, which has been organised by the Leave Means Leave campaign, will begin on Saturday in the north-east city, the first to return a vote in favour of exiting the European Union on the night of the 2016 referendum.

It will then stop off in towns including Hartlepool, Pontefract, Doncaster and Wellingborough before arriving in London on March 29, when a mass rally will take place in Parliament Square.

.@Nigel_Farage: March 29th should be our independence day, but politicians are trying to stop Brexit.

It is expected the march will be followed all the way by two advertising vans made by Led By Donkeys, a grass roots anti-Brexit campaign founded in January.

The group says the vehicles will ensure “marchers, onlookers and the rest of the nation are reminded of the contradictions, lies and hypocrisies that Nigel Farage has peddled throughout his campaign to ensure the United Kingdom leaves the European Union in the most disruptive and dangerous way possible”.

Outlining the reasons for the “peaceful protest”, the march’s website states: “It is now clear the Westminster elite are preparing to betray the will of the people over Brexit.

“To counter this, Leave Means Leave are undertaking a peaceful protest to demonstrate the depth and breadth of popular discontent with the way Brexit has been handled.”

It adds: “Failing to deliver a true Brexit will permanently damage the British people’s faith in democracy.”

On Saturday, the march is expected to proceed from Sunderland to Hartlepool, a distance of more than 20 miles, before heading to Middlesbrough on Sunday.

The campaign’s website says tickets to be “core marchers”, who pay £50 to get fully-paid accommodation, breakfast and dinner for the duration of the 14-day event, have sold out.

In announcing the march, Mr Farage said: “All of us who want Britain to be a great country once again accept that we must be prepared to stand up for what we believe in and fight for our independence.”

Leave Means Leave chairman John Longworth said in February: “The Westminster elite has had over two years to implement Brexit and instead has done everything in its power to prevent it.

“An extension of Article 50, thereby kicking the can further down the road, is completely unacceptable.”